My studio has been invaded by this big orange eyed bug. They are everywhere. This is the 13 year cicada and apparently numbered brood VI according to wikipedia. They come out of the ground once every 13 years and right now my yard is full of holes, my studio full of orange eyed bugs.
The outside of my studio looks like a cicada catacomb, they have left their exoskeletons all over the outside walls. They are gentle, don't bite and are really kinda pretty, so I let them crawl around until they just lay there and die. Their life is sort of pitiful, live under ground for 13 years, suck on tree sap, come out of a tunnel you dug in the ground, shed your skin and die. Hmmm... no thanks!Last night Wes and I went with my good friend Laura to the Artwalk in Greensboro. Quite the happening little town on a Friday night. Lots of good restaurants, bars and cute shops. There was an exhibit at the Greenhill Gallery that was really interesting and Ronan Peterson was there for meet the artist. He has some beautiful work in their gallery shop, if you are around G'boro, check it out.
I had a bit of a revelation while we were there. First of all there was an installation piece in the Greenhill with a rebel flag draped on a cross that had nails in it. I really dig the rebel flag, sorry, but I do. I think it is an attractive design, and I hate that it has come to symbolize something bad. I have wanted to put a rebel flag on one of the roofs of my barns, but it may cause marital strife, so I hesitate. This installation gave me food for thought though. I want to work on a collection that relates to the south, since I am about as southern as it gets. I started one piece yesterday, much potential here.
The other thing I came to realize on our "artwalk" is that I do not want to sit in a tent at a craft fair much longer. I don't mind festivals like Festifall or Shakori, but I don't want to sit next to the homemade cookie girl or the wooden birdhouse maker. Not that there is anything wrong with these crafters, it's just that I can't do it anymore. I was on the other side last night as a shopper, listening to their pitches about their products, and I wanted to scream. Then there was one poor potter girl that was sitting in her chair, huddled in the way back corner of her tent, trembling under her sweater and barely speaking. Jeez, do you really want to sell something? Get up, say hello! As I say all of this, I have to go pack my car for the Haw River Festival today. It won't be so bad, because there is lots of music and good food, and if I don't sell anything I will have still had a good time. Plus it's the kickoff of the Farmer's Market so I can buy groceries for the week, and Wesley is going with me so I will have good company. If you are out in Saxapahaw stop by and say hello. I will have some jewelry and a few raku pieces, but most of my stock is tied up right now at the NC Craft Gallery. Must make more work and find galleries to sell it for me! Let's all post pictures of our moms tomorrow!
8 comments:
I have been uninspired to blog recently but continue to love reading yours.
Children are amazing reminders of how quickly life passes and how much there is to live while we are in it.
I am reading "Traveling with Pomegranates" right now. Written by Sue Kidd and Her daughter Ann. It is lovely and would probably be right on for you right now.
I do love my kids ages now and my relationships with them... I do have fleeting moments of grasping for a once was... even though I do not want to change the now.
I have been making pots randomly still but I just need to be free to be me and stop the constant battle of being good enough, in my head.
I hope for you the loveliest of Mother's Days!
Hey Andrea, thanks! I'll have to check out Sue Kidd's book, I like her work. You have a great Mother's Day too!
i am finding the bugs of north carolina amazing and occasionally scary (those GIANT hornets!). the cicada chirping in the night time sounded like a jungle to me when we arrived in seagrove last june... very cool.
happy mother's day weekend!
Probably cicadas would be some of the only life to survive nuclear war! Being able to exist underground for 13 years could be a useful thing..., but so, so boring! Glad that you are so tolerant of the poor things. Their front legs look like something off a lobster..., I wonder???? I know what you mean about craft fairs.... I do them sometimes, because there are very few alternatives here, almost no galleries that take pottery.. or are able to sell it! Aggggggghhhhh!
Ooops, sorry about the deleted comment... I made a stupid spelling mistake first time around. P.
I really dig those cicada's but the noise can be something else.
I remember sitting and watching Joel pay ball in a field where I thought i was in a spaceship getting ready to take off to another planet.
They are really cool- at a distance.
I hear you about shows- loud and clear.
Read with interest about your changing views on "craft" fairs. I agree that it's important to be selective about where/when to spend your time. It's sooooo frustrating to be in mismatched selling venue.... Amazing about the cicadas.
i feel your pain on the craft fair tent life. studio sales are so much less painful.
cool post on the cicadas too but they still kind of freak me out.
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